NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Ishmael Katanga’s clinic is a small, two-room mud hut in southern Malawi that serves approximately 3,000 local residents. He sees roughly 15-20 patients per day, usually children under 5 years old suffering from malnutrition, malaria, dehydration and diarrhea. In treating these preventable diseases, one of Katanga’s biggest setbacks is access to medication and supplies.

Often, he has to turn patients away or encourage them to come back at a later time to receive their necessary medication. This scenario is common in rural clinics, where supplies and medications are scarce, causing what is known as a “stock out.”